Wolves…

[thieuster]

Since a few years, wolves are spotted in our country. And their number si growing. It goes together with the fact that pups, once grown-up, start to look for their own territorium. It looks as if my part of the woods is a good spot for them…

Two weeks ago we had a ‘snow bomb’ on a Friday afternoon. The next morning, my neighbour (300m down the forest path) sent me this:



And no it’s not a dog (‘hond’ in Dutch):



And last Monday night, two were spotted on a driveway, 500m to the north. They fled towards the Royal Grounds; the East fence of that runs behind our houses.

I must say that walking the dog late at night on the path were they were spotted has become more adventerous…

[Sinnlover]

There was a report on the BBC about this last week. Apparently their population has exploded in Europe and understandably some farmers are concerned about their livestock. They are requesting permission to start a limited cull in Germany and The Netherlands.
It’s good to see native predators coming back as it will help control pests but I do understand the concern.
Wolves, wild dogs and Canidae in general are very intelligent and will always go for the easy option, if that is your lambs and livelihood you might take the law in to your own hands.

I think allowing the population to establish itself and then target older / larger males and older females might be a way forward in the long term. In the mean time larger / taller fences and use of the big angry sheep dog that was once prevalent in Europe could help limit losses.

[gingerboy]

We have 2 boxer dogs, interestingly they both have pads / paws like the picture you have shared for the Wolf..... our French bulldog has them as per the 'Hond' diagram.

[thieuster]

We had that idea (paw prints) as well, but after being spotted by a reliable source, I think that these are the real deal.

We have cats and a dog. No sheep or other, bigger livestock. People around me put their horses in the stables during the night since the pic appeared in a community WhatsApp group. There’s a stud farm a little to the NW with valuable horses. Some with Olympic ‘pedegree’. I’m sure the farm owner will go great lenghts to protect his animals.

I personally think that this country is too crowded for wolves. Now, sheep, ponies and deer are eaten. But I fear that a human (child) will be on the menu in years to come. Some fools leave food for the wolves and then they try to take a picture. In the end, the wolves will overcome their fear of humans. Etc.

[Saint-Just]

We had that idea (paw prints) as well, but after being spotted by a reliable source, I think that these are the real deal.

We have cats and a dog. No sheep or other, bigger livestock. People around me put their horses in the stables during the night since the pic appeared in a community WhatsApp group. There’s a stud farm a little to the NW with valuable horses. Some with Olympic ‘pedegree’. I’m sure the farm owner will go great lenghts to protect his animals.

I personally think that this country is too crowded for wolves. Now, sheep, ponies and deer are eaten. But I fear that a human (child) will be on the menu in years to come. Some fools leave food for the wolves and then they try to take a picture. In the end, the wolves will overcome their fear of humans. Etc.

I agree with the sentiment: wolves inspire fear, it's written in our most primal psyche and sustained through fairy tales like little red riding hood or the 3 little pigs.
However they are one of the last large predators, and contribute to the balance of our natural habitat. It is entirely possible that your country is so crowded and cultivated that the risks exceed the benefits but that would be a sad state of affairs. Humans have learnt to protect themselves from wolves long before night vision cameras and electronic alerts. With the right couple of dogs raised and living with the flock, the lambs are safe, for example. And children? again, we have education and their are many more man-wolves that will prey on children, so if responsible parents protect their children from those they will be safe from the animal version, and no more at risk than they are from drowning in their parent's swimming pool.

[thieuster]

I spotted my first wolf today.

Around 8 AM, I opened the shades of the bedroom on the first floor and I overlooked the meadow of the neighbors across the road. I spotted a dog roaming around without a leash. My first idea: "Mmm, they (the neighbours across the street) will not be happy with a dog running around in the horse meadow!" Then I realized that I was looking at a very big, grey dog and it was a small step to figure out that it was a wolf that was completely happy and relaxed roaming around on the field.

Distance to the nearest house: 50, 75m. Distance to the barn where the horses are: less than 50m I guess...

Walking the dog (at night) has become an adventure!

[rdesouza]

Where abouts do you live?

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[hogthrob]

So the first question is: lone wolf, or is there a pack?

Next question: Elvis vs. wolf, if that is an even remotely possible scenario?

[thieuster]

So the first question is: lone wolf, or is there a pack?

Next question: Elvis vs. wolf, if that is an even remotely possible scenario?

The overall accepted idea is that it's a 'pack in the making'. The lone wolf has been spotted before but about two weeks ago, a neighbour spotted two, about 500 to the west where I spotted yesterday's specimen. And then my dog. It's a full-grown Rottweiler, but I guess he doesn't stand a chance against a healthy wolf... We have a strong fence around our grounds, but I think that a wolf will opt for the 'easy option' and hunt for deer etc that's roaming around.

That's what I said: walking the dog late in the evening has become somewhat adventurous. It's so dark where I live that it's impossible to see anything (at my age) without a torch. Nowadays I wear a Decathlon head torch with very good LED light when I walk the dog when it's dark. I hope that the light will chase away any wolf with evil plans. (False hope?). And I've noticed that the LED 'catches the eyes' of animals in the dark even when they're at a great distance.

[JonRA]

I spotted my first wolf today.

Around 8 AM, I opened the shades of the bedroom on the first floor and I overlooked the meadow of the neighbors across the road. I spotted a dog roaming around without a leash. My first idea: "Mmm, they (the neighbours across the street) will not be happy with a dog running around in the horse meadow!" Then I realized that I was looking at a very big, grey dog and it was a small step to figure out that it was a wolf that was completely happy and relaxed roaming around on the field.

Distance to the nearest house: 50, 75m. Distance to the barn where the horses are: less than 50m I guess...

Walking the dog (at night) has become an adventure!

I'm not saying I would be one of the people putting food out, but I would love to see and ideally photograph such wonderful creatures. But I can understand your concern and would probably feel a bit of concern.

As for your dog walks, my dog and I head out before dawn every day for a nocturnal walk (today she asked to head out at 2.20am...) and in October 2019 I noticed a large pair of eyes about 70m away that ducked as soon my torch alighted on them as though the animal crouched down, more big cat-like than the deer I regularly saw. To cut a long story short, a few days later, I saw a large, sand coloured cat slink away from me (the height and bulk of a Labrador but with a longer body and long tail). Over a 3 month period I saw it nine times (three times the actual cat and six times just the eyes behaving as described) - it was definitely a puma. My initial fear at being out at its hunting time soon turned to anticipation and exhilaration. It was far more wary of me than I was of it. I still have the impression of it slowly walking away from me with its long, heavy tail swaying slowly on the last occasion I saw it in January 2020. Large cats are not native to the UK and sightings are often dismissed by people who haven't seen them, but I can only say that I know what I had the privilege of seeing.

On a practical front my dog has appalling recall, so is always on a lead and for the first few weeks when I was pretty apprehensive I carried an air horn and a long walking stick (thumb stick).



One

[Saint-Just]

Wolves are clever. They will avoid adult humans and big dogs as there is a very unfavourable risk/reward ratio for them. Even worse for a lone wolf (their odds improve in a pack; but even then they fear humans instinctively just like we fear them).
They hunt for food, not for problems.

[Wolfie]

I see wolves on a daily basis!

[BillyCasper]

I’m quite envious.

I faintly recall seeing a film about the increase in the number of wolves in Italy. The locals were aware of the wolves in the mountains and regularly heard them but none had been spotted in the valley floor village. There was then a clip taken in the village after dark with an infra red camera. Wolves all over, group of people walking on the pavement in one direction, a pack of wolves on the other side of the road walking in the other direction.


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[PickleB]

A few links about wolves in the Netherlands:

• cycling
  
  
• research
  
  
• expansion
  
  
• National Park

And one from France: Can humans and wolves coexist?